Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The symbol is rotating.

The palm of my hand felt warm and smooth, neither cold nor hot, like a piece of ancient jade.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling's" palms rested firmly on the indentation at the center of the complex symbol. The texture their fingertips touched resonated with certain dormant strings deep within their blood.

There was no earth-shattering sound.

There was only one... strange feeling, as if the whole world had slowed down.

The surrounding turbulent energy currents, the energy storm interwoven with dark blue and dark gold, suddenly became viscous and sluggish the moment the two palms pressed down, like solidified amber. Even the rotating, bottomless hole at the center of the giant energy tree's trunk seemed to slow down its rotation by a frame.

The complex symbol before them suddenly lit up. The light didn't radiate outwards, but rather converged inwards, flowing along the rune's markings into the point where their palms touched, and then... returning upwards.

The light flowed backward, spreading upward along the veins of their arms that they had pressed onto the symbols. It was slow, very clear. Wherever it passed, the blood vessels beneath the skin of their arms glowed faintly, displaying a strange luster between a deep blue and a dark gold, intertwining and resonating with the aura of their own bloodline.

At the same time, a massive flow of information, more organized yet deeper and more profound than before at the altar, surged into their consciousness through the connection of the light.

No longer fragmented pieces, but a complete "memory" that spans an unimaginable scale of time.

They "saw" it.

That was in the extremely distant past, so far back that the earth had not yet taken shape, and the arrangement of the stars was different from today. In the void, an invisible, indescribable "rift" quietly appeared. It was not a physical crack, but rather a "deficiency" in some rule or dimension.

At first, this "crack" was small and stable. But like a magnet, it began to slowly attract and distort the surrounding dissipated energy and... something more indescribable. An "ulcer of energy and rules" quietly sprouted and grew in the void.

After an unknown amount of time, the projection of this "ulcer" touched a world where life had just been born. Faint energy and information with strange properties leaked out like radiation.

The first to come into contact with this leaked energy were some ignorant, primal creatures of this world. They underwent a mutation, gaining power beyond their own kind.

They also endured distorted suffering. Some of them gradually gained vague wisdom and began to consciously approach and study the source of this "divine gift" and "divine punishment".

Memories flashed by. Generation after generation of intelligent beings built rudimentary sacrificial sites around this leak point, attempting to communicate, exploit, or appease. Some failed, their tribes annihilated. Others achieved temporary prosperity, but alienation and madness followed them like shadows.

Finally, the image freezes on a blurry but composed figure. He stands near the leak site, showing neither blind worship nor fear like the ancient people.

He reached out, not to take, but to... probe. He and his people seemed to possess a special talent, able to perceive the nature of leaking energy relatively clearly and attempt to construct barriers to slow its spread.

They were the original "gatekeepers," or rather, the "isolated ones." The ancestors of the Zhang family.

The memories continue. Isolation is effective, but not curative. The "ulcer" persists in the void, slowly growing larger. The leaked energy, like a slow poison, contaminates those in isolation. To maintain the barrier, and to combat the alienation brought about by the contamination...

The strongest members of the clan, those clan leaders known as "Zhang Qiling," came one after another to the vicinity of the core projection of this leak point. Using their relatively pure bloodline and will as "anchors" and "filters," they sank into a semi-permanent slumber, constructing layers of purification and delaying networks.

This is the origin of those "cocoons." They represent sacrifice, responsibility, and a helpless act.

However, certain properties of leaked energy—such as its "stagnation" effect on life forms—have also been partially grasped and utilized; this is the truth behind the so-called "immortality." It's a self-destructive exchange.

Until… a certain generation of “Zhang Qiling”, perhaps seeing a deeper crisis, or perhaps unable to endure this endless cycle of sacrifice any longer, made a different choice. He was not satisfied with isolation and delay; he wanted to “cut it off at the root.”

He arrived here with a more complete token (perhaps the precursor to the Jade Eye), attempting to "go against the current" and directly attack the initial point of injection of the "ulcer" into this world. He failed.

Not only was he himself thoroughly contaminated and devoured, but his intense attempts also disturbed and even slightly tore the already fragile isolation layer, leading to increased leakage and accelerated spread of contamination, which resulted in the later "nuclear" explosion and various monsters.

The memories here become blurred and chaotic, filled with lingering pain and despair, before finally dissipating.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" opened their eyes at the same time.

The symbolic light beneath their palms had completely merged into their bodies. The strange glow on their arms also slowly faded.

They exchanged a glance and both understood.

"The initial injection point," Zhang Qiling said softly, looking at an inconspicuous node on the trunk of the giant tree where the energy flow was relatively gentle, "not at the deepest point, but on... the side, the source of the third main branch. That is the earliest and most vulnerable connection point between this world and the 'rift,' and also the 'root' of all the leaked pollution."

"Hmm." Zhang Qiling nodded. The information stream not only indicated the location but also conveyed a vague method for temporarily "stitching up" that point. It didn't require world-destroying power, but rather an extremely precise one.

The "disturbance" and "guidance" at the level of energy and rules utilize the energy field here and the resonance of the two complete tokens, like using a thread to temporarily "tie" that tiny leak, blocking most of the energy leakage channels.

This is only a temporary solution. The "cracks" are still in the void, and the "ulcers" still exist. But at least it can greatly alleviate the pollution pressure on this world, buy this fragile isolation system a chance to breathe, and leave more time and possibilities for future generations.

"Let's begin," Zhang Qiling said.

The two withdrew their hands from the symbol. The symbol's light dimmed completely, but did not disappear, as if it had entered a standby state.

They took out the jade eye and the jade tablet with the character "启" (Qi) again. This time, they didn't press them anywhere. The two simply stood side by side, facing the trunk of the giant tree, held the tokens in their palms, and closed their eyes.

The power of bloodline was slowly activated, resonating with the token. The vortex at the center of the jade eye began to rotate in reverse, emitting a soft white light. The jade pendant with the character "启" (Qi) shone with a warm, cyan luster.

Two beams of light intertwined and coalesced in front of the two people into an extremely thin, faintly visible "line" composed of pure energy.

One end of the "line" connects to the light of the jade eye and the jade pendant. The other end, as if possessing its own consciousness, slowly drifts towards the node that "Zhang Qiling" just mentioned—the side of the giant tree trunk, the source of the third main branch, a seemingly inconspicuous dark spot with slightly distorted energy.

The tip of the "line" gently touched that dark spot.

No sound.

But everyone felt that the entire vast energy space trembled very slightly.

It was as if a persistent, low-pitched background noise had suddenly been turned down.

The surrounding turbulent energy currents became noticeably calmer and more subdued. The suction and terrifying aura emanating from the rotating hole at the center of the giant energy tree also seemed to have diminished slightly.

The light of the "thread" stabilized and firmly "tied" to that dark spot. Then the light slowly receded until it became almost invisible. Only Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" could sense its existence through the connection of bloodline and token.

finished.

The temporary "stitching" and "isolation" reinforcement is complete.

Although it was only a temporary measure, and it was unknown how long it could last, at this moment, the "loophole" that had plagued the Zhang family for generations, caused pollution, and created countless tragedies was temporarily plugged.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" opened their eyes simultaneously, the light from the tokens in their hands fading. Both looked somewhat tired, but deep in their eyes, there was a hint of relieved calm.

The signal from the levitating live stream sphere was severely disrupted during the ceremony and has only just been restored. The image is still somewhat distorted, but the figures of the two people standing and the energy field around them, which seems to have calmed down considerably, are still visible. Comments cautiously drift by:

…it's over?…

…It seems to have calmed down…

Are you guys alright?

…What was that wire just now?…

"Did it work?" Wu Xie asked tentatively.

"Hmm." Zhang Qiling nodded and carefully put the jade pendant away.

"For now," Zhang Qiling added, also putting away his jade eyes.

"How long can it last?" Xie Yuchen asked.

"I don't know," Zhang Qiling said, looking at the "stitched-up" node. "A few years, a few decades, or even less. It depends on the changes on the other side of the 'crack' and the maintenance here."

"At least, we bought some time." Huo Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then... can we get out now?" Fatty Wang looked at the still unfamiliar and strange energy space around him, eager to return home.

"Let's go back the way we came," Zhang Qiling said, looking at the light bridge they had come from. The light bridge was still sturdy. "The altar passage should be usable once more. Let's take it back to the vicinity of the vertical shaft stone hall."

Without lingering, the group turned and quickly returned along the bridge of light. The return journey seemed much smoother than the way there; the surrounding energy was gentle, and the suspended "cocoons" appeared even quieter.

Crossing the bridge of light, we returned to the platform where the white jade altar stood. The symbols on the altar had completely faded, but a faint spatial fluctuation could still be sensed.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" placed their hands on the center of the altar once more. A light shone forth, enveloping them.

After a familiar gliding sensation, the light faded.

Beneath their feet was a solid rock floor, and all around them were the familiar stone palace dome painted with star maps and the eight dragon-carved stone pillars. They had returned to the stone palace at the top of the shaft.

A pale blue light shone up from the shaft, but it seemed... less dazzling, and the heart-pounding, violent pulse was gone. The eight bronze animal heads on the edge of the shaft stood silently, the chains in their mouths no longer taut.

"It really... calmed down," Ah Ning said, sensing the changes in energy in the air.

"Let's go, let's leave this place." Xie Yuchen looked back at the passageway they had come from.

The group didn't linger and quickly retraced their steps. They passed through a passageway with spider remains, climbed a long bronze staircase, exited the tower, and stood once again on the edge of that three-dimensional "city" suspended above the abyss.

Looking back at that silent and massive ancient architectural complex, everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts, but also a sense of relief.

The secret remains hidden, and the curse has not been eradicated.

But at least they touched on the truth and did something about it.

Following the boardwalk, we climbed the rock face, passed through the thick fog, and followed the dried-up "Hidden Dragon Path" before finally emerging from that oppressive dense forest.

When they breathed in the crisp, fresh air of the mountains and forests again and saw the horizon turning a pale white, everyone felt as if they had been transported to another world.

It's almost bright.

Our trip to Zhangjia Ancient Building has come to an end.

A new routine is about to begin.

The levitating live-streaming ball followed behind the group, recording their silhouettes as they emerged from the deep mountains and basked in the morning light.

The green light remained stable, as if it were drawing a temporary end to this journey.